What would you say was the average number of public speakers at planning meetings over the past year? 10? 15 perhaps?  It’s actually 1.5.

Councillor Graham Troman presented his research on this to last night’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), in the debate on how to shorten the length of the currently unwieldy planning meetings. Reducing the number of public speakers was one suggestion in Cllr Bloxham’s proposals for resolving the problem.

Cllr Troman found that between May 2013 and April 2014 (i.e. the latest twelve-month period), there were 165 applications heard by the Development Management, with 249 contributors (including parish councillors) to public question time (maximum of 3 minutes allowed per speaker)…so an average of 1.5 public speakers per planning application.

But these complicated calculations seemed all too much for Cllr Key to take on board. He remarked that Cllr Troman had “overestimated himself” , and that an average of 2 people was more accurate.

Which left more than one of his fellow councillors wondering, “If he doesn’t understand 1.5, does he understand 4.5 minutes (= the time limit for 1.5 public speakers)?

After a rather rambling discussion, which jumped from one agenda item to another, and saw a marked division in voting between the majority party (not all of whom spoke), and the other councillors, the motion to have new rules on speaking was passed., with some amendments.  Amongst these were: listing and publishing in advance, the precise material planning applications to be addressed; introducing a buzzer system for time limits to speaking; insisting on pre-application for public questions; and stronger powers for the DMC Chair.

Cllr Bloxham’s report will now go to Cabinet, and then back to Full Council for approval.